This invention relates to fire extinguishing sprinklers and, more particularly, to a new and improved sprinkler, having a decorative appearance and adapted to respond quickly to elevated temperature conditions indicative of a fire.
Sprinkler systems are widely used for automatic fire protection in residential, commercial and public buildings. Heretofore, many sprinklers have been made with a frame structure having a temperature responsive element located within the frame structure. In order to expose the temperature responsive element to ambient conditions, such sprinklers must be mounted so that the entire frame structure, with a deflector affixed at its outer end, projects downwardly from the ceiling, providing an unattractive appearance. Some conventional sprinklers have a slidable valve and deflector arrangement which is held in retracted condition by a complex captive locking mechanism which moves with valve from the closed to the open position.